Wednesday, 3 October 2012

We decided to take the boys to see "Hotel Transylvania" at the cinemas tonight. Gotta love cheap Tuesday.. And as the Hogs Breath Cafe is under the cinemas and kids eat free on Tuesdays, what better way to end the day! The Hogster even paid a visit but Connor was the only one game enough to get a photo lol.

It ended up being a rather educational night as we were sitting near a large group of Ugandan Orphans www.watoto.com, that are travelling round Australia were at Hogs Breath as well. This led to discussions on why/how they may have been orphaned, as well as a discussion on the similarity in their looks and how our ancestors, and heritage are what gives us our differences in skin tones and hair colour etc. Love the way my boys are always so thirsty for knowledge.

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Oh what a wet and miserable week the first week of the hols was... It rained constantly all week and was freezing cold..

Monday I thought I would start sorting the boys rooms out... best laid plans and all that.. I had a lovely sleep in and woke up to Declan telling me someone had thrown up in the bathroom.. yup.. not in the toilet but all over the wall etc at the other end! and strangely none of the boys remembered doing it.. So after the fun job of cleaning up the mess I decided bugger it and went back to lie in bed and read a book... it was holidays after all..lol... 10 Minutes later the boys came in to ask it they could play electronics.... After I said no Brodie climbed into bed and fell asleep... I think I know who was sick.. and I honestly don't think he remembered.. Anyways.. I put the book down to give him a cuddle and fell asleep too... lol.. so we had a very quiet day ...

After discussing it at school I had booked the boys in to workshops run by the Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children Inc. (QAGTC) On Tuesday Declan did a 'Build a Bug' Workshop and Connor did 'Survivor: Outplay, Out-Think, and Out-Strategise' and then on Wednesday Declan did 'Bucketloads of Brainteasers' and Connor did 'Mind Challenging Puzzles and Games'. They Loved it ... had lots of fun and their leaders said they did very well.

Meanwhile on Tuesday Brodes and I went to a Parent Information Session until about 11.30.. He was really good playing with the old iphone.. and then he got to go to Lollypops Playland with Liam, His best mate and partner in crime from Prep..lol.. Was quite nice chatting to Liam's Mum, Louise, while the kids ran amok..

then on Wednesday we had another Parent Information Session but this time I was unorganised and so to keep Brodes occupied I gave him my phone to play with. He was again very well behaved but when I got my phone back I found a dozen photos and about 8 videos..lol.

Rat bag! lol..

I left the Sessions feeling very confused, excited, guilty and relieved..lol.. Up till now I thought had very smart boys... but apparently there is a name.. 'gifted'.. and yup that is their technical term.. How gifted I am still unsure but after those sessions I think I need to find out. It was amazing that a lot of the comments I have had from teachers have been heard by many other parents too. I certainly have never been the type to push my kids.. I just want them to do the best they can and be happy at the same time... but I think to achieve that I need to do some more investigating and chat to the school so that we can help Connor in particular from underachieving. and make his life a bit better at the same time. Will see what happens when I have a chat to the school.. Hopefully it will all work out ...

On Thursday I got stuck in and sorted out Brodie's room while the boys had a quiet day at home.. took me all day, got rid of about 3 bags of rubbish but gee it looks so much better... Now I just need to replace the flooring, window treatments, yellow glass, repaint and decorate... lmao .. but hey .. the first step is finally done!

Anyway I am exhausted so that will do for today... Hope you are all surviving the holidays!

Friday, 29 June 2012

Sunday was soo busy... ran around like a loony trying to get the rumpus room visitor friendly lol. Was a mess of boxes, toys and other junk.. Got my small Expedit put up so I could organise all the dvd's and games. We then had a wonderful afternoon with friends Andy, Row and little Ewan. Greg made yummy Lamb chops with Babganoush for nibbles, then the most beautiful Rib on the bone in the BBQ with salad and Mushroom Skewers. All followed with a Fruit and cheese platter and a delicious White Chocolate Cheesecake... Yup the diet kinda went out the window for the day..lol.. but oh it was good... a few wines, good company... what more could you want on a Sunday Afternoon.

I got the recipe for the White Chocolate Cheesecake from a good friend of mine and thought I would share:

Saturday, Connor's team had their first game on turf.. Against a team that had flooded them 8 nil last time they met. And I have to say I am soo proud of the boys. They lost 2 nil but gee they played a good game! Especially as turf is completely different to playing on grass! I got heaps of pics but on my proper cam so will have to upload some later!

And after a nice nap and some cleaning the madness in my house started. lol..

A Photo a Day - June #24

Bent ~ My boy is bent! He pinched Daddy's Jersey to play with the taggy and when Greg wanted it back cause he wanted to wear it Brodes said no cause he was wearing it! I live in a madhouse I tell ya!

Bells and Whistles ~ Suncorp were very popular giving these out to kids at Beef week! Lol the sounds of Cow Bells ringing through Rocky! Mine is great for getting the boys attention when they downstairs.. And the neighbours too I imagine .. Lmao

Angel or Devil... ~ These are my gorgeous grandparents... both Angels now.. But I had to live with them briefly when just as I hit my teens and honestly.. most of the time.. Nana thought I was a devil... and Grandad thought I was an Angel...lol.. Miss them both...

Friday, 22 June 2012

A bit of a rough week this week.. These kids are going to send me grey!
Was lucky enough to get to go to the Dentist Tuesday morning and just got home and the doorbell rings.. It's our neighbour Bruce, with a bag of rubbish wondering if it looks familiar! Damn kids have been throwing the rubbish over the fence instead of in the wheelie bin! I was mortified. Luckily Bruce seems like a nice bloke, him and Greg watched the State of Origin together, and he wasn't too upset. But I sure as hell was! Tues night is bin night so I informed the boys that they would be cleaning every bin in the house Wed arvo as punishment.. They didn't like that idea!

We'd morning I got to go to Connor's classroom to see some of the work they have been doing. They had the cutest hat on as they have been learning about Captain Cook and he rushed around showing me everything. Was very proud of the marks and comments in his workbooks and his fabulous website on Rockhampton. Then I got to go shopping at Ikea with a girlfriend and hopefully can now get the boys rooms properly organised.

Connor came home sick on Thursday at lunchtime so I mainly got more washing and cleaning done.. Especially as Brodie hadn't been putting his uniforms in the wash so guess who wore a dirty uniform on Thursday! He'll learn one day!

Got the three report cards this week to. All as expected from our discussions with the teachers but Connor and Brodie both need to put more effort in to show their full potential! We've also been told Declan & Brodie both have fine motor issues. So we need to get Brodie assessed by an OT so I figure we might as well get Declan done too. I had always just thought they take after their father with their writing. Still can't read his!! Lol

I'm finally about 3/4 Of the way through Olivia's and Grants Wedding invites. Hopefully I'll get them over and done with very soon!

Last Sunday was an extremely busy day with the School Fete. I helped out with a few different stalls and the boys had performances which were very cute then they spent the day racing around like nuts. Declan went on the sizzling spinner or whatever it was called about 6 times and Connor had a ball with the Laser Skirmish. Brodie loved racing around on the Dodgems and all of them managed to spend all their money on games, toys and whatever else took their fancy. Lol by the time we got home I was exhausted and fell asleep on the chair!

Saturday, 16 June 2012

Had a huge morning of hockey this morning.. Had the U7/U9 Carnival first thing this morning so Brodie and Declan's teams had their first games against other clubs. They played 3 half hour games each. Don't ask me who won but I'm fairly certain our teams didn't lol. But they had fun which was the main thing! And also got to play on a jumping castle and get posters and lollies from a couple of Hockeyroos! Somehow I managed to get volunteered as official team photographer so got plenty of pics but none on the camera. So will upload when I get to edit etc. Got my exercise because two teams played at a time so I had to get back and forwards to two fields..

After that Connor got to play two games. His team had a great game and tied 2 all against Bulimba. Got quite exciting and I had a little bit of a sore throat at the end lol. He then filled In for the U11/1 team. They too had a great game just getting beaten by 4 to 3. So by the time they all finished up we didn't get home till after 1.30 and I soo needed a Nanna Nap! Lol Greg and I are now gonna sit down and watch a movie if these boys will ever go to sleep!

What a week!! Tuesday I had Appointments.. So spent the day washing, folding, ironing And running around lol. Good news is I went to the dietician and I have officially lost Over 9kg and 19 cm from hip and waist! Yay me!! Must admit though starting to waiver a little with all the running around I've been doing so need to pull me head in and get stuck into it!

My turn on Canteen on Tuesday night so at least I got to stay out of the wind!! Prob is after I finished and went to the field they set off the sprinklers on the Tiger turf fields and the spray was freezing!!!!

Wednesday I had to take Murphy to the vet.. Poor little man been losing weight. Anyway, more blood tests needed cause the vet suspects he might have diabetes or hypothyroidism.. And his teeth and gums are a mess. So he's happy he gets raw chicken wings to eat!! Lol. Hopefully we get it all figured out and my boy be all good soon!

After that I got to go shopping with Tori at Carindale. It's silly how little we see each other now we living so close but that's busy lives I guess. Anyway I wasn't missing the chance to catch up
While she was on Hols so housework be damned, off I went! Lol had a lovely day.. Picked up some new towels for the kids, some early b'day presents as well cause National Geographic was on sale lol. Lots of chatting and relaxing and prob a few too many calories.. But oh well! We so need to do it again!!

Thursday Connor had his very first Inter-school Chess Tournament. As the regular organiser was on hols I've been helping organise the transport etc. so got to go and spend the day watching. The kids all did really well and I must say I was so impressed with their sportsmanship, attitude and behaviour on the day. Win or lose they all held their heads high, and just carried on! Connor did so well. Overall he was 24th out of the 66 kids that competed in C Grade. And that was kids of all primary school ages. Their records show he - Won 3, Tied 3 and Lost 1... But he believes he won 4, Tied 3.. So I'm going to get them to check it out. He was disappointed at the end because if he'd won 4 he'd have been eligible for a Ribbon. But he handled it well. And he realises just how good he did considering he only started this year!

After we got back to school we the had Teacher interviews with Connor's and Brodie's Teachers. Both have some improving to do.. Mainly with behaviour and effort. But overall not too bad. Unfortunately I don't think Connor is going to get the marks he's capable of but we will see next week when his report card comes home. Brodie has won his teacher over with his charm but he still has learning to do on not pushing the boundaries! Lol yup that's me boy! And they've picked up that he has fine motor issues.. So I need to get in touch with an OT.. Hopefully we will get him and Dec sorted on that front quickly!

Today I intended to get the housework caught up after I popped in and help set up the craft stall for the fete on Sunday. But I ended up at school all day helping.. So yup house still a mess.. Lol. Was good fun though and finally getting to meet some other mums. Brodie and Declan were impressed when I bought home some shorts someone had made incorrectly. No good for babies but great for teddies! Lol

Anyway I'm off to bed! It's nearly 1 am and we have Hockey from about 7.45 till 2 tomorrow!

Anyway.. Queens Birthday Weekend was the usual hectic run around for us. Friday night Declan & Brodes had Hockey and Sat morning we had to get up and get org for Connor's Hockey.. As you can tell by the pics Greg and the kids were in a silly mood and the madness reigned supreme lol. The cheeky rabbits decided Daddy was too old, far and ugly to catch em. So naturally he had to prove em wrong! Lmao.. Was actually so nice to wake up to laughter instead of the usual whining and fighting!!

Anyway eventually all four boys settled down and we went off to Hockey. Due to illness we were short a player so Declan got to play a full game. He did soo well. He didn't always know what to do but he got in and had a real good go! With his usual cute run on him and the fact that he was half the size of the other boys he gave us Mum's a few giggles.. Lol.. But he did Do well and Greg and I were extremely proud!

Unfortunately we lost but The boys had a good game and Connor is getting better and better each game as goalie. So glad they have found a sport they like and are good at. Hope they stick with it!

On Sunday Greg took the boys and Uncle Peter fishing in the boat. They had a great time despite the fact it was a bit of a rainy miserable day! Brodie was so proud of himself that he caught the only keeper. And unfortunately Declan and Greg didn't get one into the boat.. But I think they enjoyed it anyway lol. Brodie of course had to have his little fish cooked up for him for dinner on Monday night...

I spent the morning unpacking more of my craft room/office making more mess through the house lol. Then got to have a lovely arvo shopping with a Julie.

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Advertisement ~ The school Fete - my first as a parent... I think I'm as excited as the kids.. And managed to volunteer on about 3 stalls, and be convinced to make some kids bracelets and rum balls.. Lol

Abandoned ~ When we first looked at this house there was a family of Peewees in this nest.. With 3 little chicks. Every time we came back the boys had to see if they were there or not. By the time we settled they had all gone and the nest has been falling to disrepair ever since..

Well parent Teacher interview time has begun and we had Declan's today.. Have to say leading up to it I was a little worried how his behaviour had been as he has gotten rather defiant at home but we were pleasantly surprised. His teacher is so impressed with him.. She said he had his issues but has turned it around and and is now well behaved. Mostly lol.

But she raved about his academic ability. He is well advanced for his age group and is scoring in some areas higher than they actually test for at his age. So we are very pleased with our little bug boy now. If I could just figure out how to get rid of the attitude at home lol.

We have had a few issues at Scouts with some personality clashes and last week we moved Declan to Thursday night group and he loved it! A smaller group of younger boys and the leaders went out of their way to make him welcome! It was wonderful to see him excited about Scouts again.. So cross fingers he will stay that way!

Connor also came home with a student of the week award last week for doing his best to catch up on his school work after having his teeth out. So he is rather proud of himself as well..

He also had a ripper game of Hockey on Sat Morning... We lost 1 nil but Connor saved that from being about six nil. Should've seem the smile on his face when his coach told the team at the end that he thought Connor was the best player that game! And one of the parents from the other team paid him compliments as well!

Declan was chuffed to be able to play with the big boys as well cause we were short a player and he did well considering it was his first proper game. Poor little man was so excited he ran on without his hockey stick after half time .. Lol

And I am dying to see what Brodie's teacher says about him next week. He sat down yesterday and started writing words for us. Think he has been fixing us at just how far he has come with his reading and Writing. I think he enjoys being the baby too much.. Lol

Okies.. Where was I? Think I have caught up on the boys as much as I can think of.. Greg is enjoying his new job down here. Lot more responsibility but at least he is home most of the time. When he finishes his Masters in October he might even have time to do some stuff round here lol. He is also hoping to get out in the boat a bit more too. He's planning to head out over the long weekend with his Uncle and the boys.

And me.. Well besides unpacking, chasing the kids and the usual Mummy stuff I have a few things to keep me busy. I am nearly finished making a friends wedding invitations.. Have volunteered to manage Connor's Hockey team, help at school and today I finished a six week interior design course at DIY Designer.. So I now have a plan to renovate our house. Will take a pic of my design board tomorrow and upload it.. Now to just find the time and money to do it all lol.

I've also been doing a bit of work on me.. Greg and I have been cigarette free since we left Rocky and I have also been seeing a nutritionist. 8 kg Down since the end of April.. So hopefully I will reach goal this time!!

That's about it for catchup me thinks.. Now I am really gonna try to keep it up to date.. Might save me from some nagging lol.

Thursday, 31 May 2012

Well yes I am.. And no I haven't got organised to update the last 12 months I missed but you know what.. That's ok.. Trying very hard not to be my usual pedantic self and have to have everything just so and just get it done. Cause the longer I leave it... The more memories I'm not writing down and the more things I forget.. And that was the reason I started this blog in the first place.. That and to keep family and friends updated.. So that's what I'm gonna do!

So may not be pretty and the photos not perfect but the memories will be there.

Okies.. So what's been happening?? Well we are getting well settled in Brissie.. The boys are loving their new school.. Yup all 3 of them .. Woohoo .. And are all doing well and making friends.. Brodie has a little mate called Liam.. And yup they double trouble!! Within the first few weeks they need to be watched constantly and kept apart at times.. Trust my boy to find a crime partner so quick!! He adores his teachers and is loving school. He has also joined Hockey and doing a term of Auskick.

Declan is still bug mad.. And has found some bug mad mates. He has started his own bug club at school and he and a few boys read bug books, draw pics and go bug hunting at lunchtimes lol. He loves having his new mates and had even started ringing them occasionally after school. The first time he and his friend Ben were so nervous and didn't have a clue what to say to each other lol.. They Gave Ben's mum and I a good giggle anyway lol. Declan is also playing Hockey In the U9's and has just started training with Connor's team so he can help sub.. he was doing chess after school last term but decided to do Afl with Brodie instead this term. Did I mention that that was all much to their league mad father's disgust lol. He's doing extremely well at school and is still reading way above his grade level. When we moved down he moved up to Cubs in scouts and was loving it.. had earnt 3 badges already and had gone to a couple of camps. Unfortunately due to some difficulties with some of the other cubs he started not wanting to go to scouts at all.. So next week we are moving him to the other cub group and hope he gets back that joy.. I'd hate to see him quit something he loves and benefits him so much.. so cross fingers.

Connor is also doing extremely well at school.. He got to go to the 'days of Excellence for Maths' a govt run program for gifted children and was so excited to get to do Maths for 2 whole days lol. He is doing Chess as well and had been asked to compete I the inter school competition in a few weeks. Pretty good considering before this he'd only had a few games with Daddy. He is loving Hockey and seems to have found his niche in the goalie.. Every week he improves and has stopped many a goal from being made. His team is doing really well in their division especially as a lot of them are younger and inexperienced like Connor. And they have fun. What more could you ask for.

The poor kid has just had to have 8 teeth removed last week. Most because he has some issues with enamel not forming.. We think due to the antibiotics as a baby, and some because the adult teeth behind then were going crooked so hopefully they will straighten up. Oh and no. 9 decided all his mates were leaving so he jumped out mid surgery.. Lol. He is also impressed because he managed to get a silver cap on one as well. Cheeky bugger wanted me to pay for a gold one, just like a pirates, lol.
He was so funny when he woke up.. Well sorta woke up lol.. He looked at me and said 'I can't believe I slept through that.... I thought I'd be awake the whole time.' lol then thought about and asked if he had his silver tooth... When I told him yes he looked at me and said 'cool' lol. He wanted to go home but they wanted him to get a little more sleep so he would doze off for 5 mins then wake up and say 'home'. I had to keep telling him after more sleep, more than 5 mins.. So he'd doze off again wake up and say..'how long that time?' lol after about 30 mins we gave up and he got to come home lol. He's doing pretty good at the moment and has at least started sleeping through now.

Well it's after midnight and I am trying so very hard to get a decent sleep so will catch up some more tomorrow night...